1) Can Duke overcome adversity?
It's no secret that Duke's embarrassing loss on the road against Big East squad St. John's came on the one year anniversary of Duke's embarrassing loss on the road against Big East squad Georgetown. But after last year's loss, the Blue Devils lost only a single game the rest of the year en-route to the national title. Can this year's team rebound in a similar fashion?
2) Jordan Williams must be stopped
Maryland's sophomore center nearly single-handedly willed the Terrapins to victory over Duke earlier this season with a 23 point, 13 rebound performance in Cameron. Williams has evolved into one of the premier big men in the country, although his supporting cast has left something to be desired. Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly have given Duke a renewed presence on the glass, one that will be tested against Williams and a Maryland frontcourt that out-rebounded the Blue Devils in their last meeting.
3) Where's the third option?
Ever since Kyrie Irving's injury, Duke's third option on offense has seemingly been decided by a roll of the dice. In the injury's aftermath Andre Dawkins stepped up his scoring output, but has recently been in a shooting slump. Ryan Kelly has been hot recently, but inconsistent overall. Seth Curry finally looked like he solved his shooting problems against Boston College, but quickly regressed against St. John's. Which one of these three can step up in a hostile Comcast Center environment, or will Duke be able to find a new hot hand?
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